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Tottenham v Gillingham: Marcus Edwards is like a young Lionel Messi, says Mauricio Pochettino as teenager looks set for debut

It’s Tottenham v Gillingham tonight and all eyes may be on 17-year-old Marcus Edwards.

The teenager could make his Spurs debut in the EFL Cup tie at White Hart Lane, according to The Guardian.

Meanwhile, Sky Sports have published some Mauricio Pochettino quotes that are likely to get fans very excited.

“The qualities – it’s only looks, his body and the way that he plays – remember a little bit from the beginning of Messi,” Pochettino said of Edwards on Tuesday.

“He’s small, he’s left-footed, I remember a little bit [Erik] Lamela when he was at River Plate, remember he had long hair, when he was 14, 15 years old, there is a lot of videos on YouTube that you can see, that he took the ball, didn’t give a pass and shot straight away.

“He (Edwards) is a very good prospect and potentially he can be a top player, but we need to be patient and tell him that he has a lot of talent, enough talent to be a top player, a great player. But now it’s how he builds his future, that’s very important. And it’s our responsibility to tell him.”

Edwards is an attacking midfielder, but he could be used as a striker in the coming weeks, with Harry Kane’s injury leaving Vincent Janssen as Tottenham’s only fit forward.

Although Edwards has yet to feature in a senior matchday squad this season, he did play with the first team in multiple friendlies this summer.

Pochettino is expected to rest many of his first-team stars against Gillingham, but Spurs are still big favourites against the League One outfit.

The last time Spurs played Gillingham, they won 4-2 in Kent back in January 1983.